[BethanyJane]

I just wanted to start a thread regarding Oxbridge and the extensive work which is required for any degree. As Oxford and Cambridge place paramount importance on academia, do students have any free time for leisure activities? I assume there is some free time, as they offer a wide range of leisure facilities. However, I wanted to find out from some students who actually study at Oxford or Cambridge and their thoughts on Oxbridge in general.

What are your opinions?

[The_Lonely_Goatherd]

It's a huge myth that Oxbridge is hard work and no play. There is a LOT of play. Some colleges (e.g. mine ) are in fact known for having perhaps too much play

Honestly though: there are a tiny minority of people who are the Oxbridge stereotype of being chained to a desk. You can find an equivalent in any good university. The majority of people are well-rounded and interested in extra-curricular activity and indeed, participate in a wide range of things from clubbing to sports, from debating to music, etc.

[BethanyJane]

(Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd)
It's a huge myth that Oxbridge is hard work and no play. There is a LOT of play. Some colleges (e.g. mine ) are in fact known for having perhaps too much play

Honestly though: there are a tiny minority of people who are the Oxbridge stereotype of being chained to a desk. You can find an equivalent in any good university. The majority of people are well-rounded and interested in extra-curricular activity and indeed, participate in a wide range of things from clubbing to sports, from debating to music, etc.

Ah! Thank you for replying! That's good to know, I was a little dubious and scared of becoming seriously overworked (If I even got in! Hah! :P ). I'm debating on whether to apply this year for 2013 Have you enjoyed your time so far at University?

[The_Lonely_Goatherd]

(Original post by BethanyJane)
Ah! Thank you for replying! That's good to know, I was a little dubious and scared of becoming seriously overworked (If I even got in! Hah! :P ). I'm debating on whether to apply this year for 2013 Have you enjoyed your time so far at University?

The thing to remember is that if you're being seriously overworked, you can always turn around to your tutors and tell them to back off. I did that a couple of times. That's not to say it went down well but I always won in the end

Oxford was a bit difficult for me due to ill health but there were some amazing times there and I'd do it all again in a flash if I could

What are you thinking of applying for, subject-wise? And college-wise?

[sxcbonanza]

i went 2 cambridge collage ugander. if u believ in urself n werk hard u can achieve and play in equal measure!!!!!!11

[thecrimsonidol]

(Original post by sxcbonanza)
i went 2 cambridge collage ugander. if u believ in urself n werk hard u can achieve and play in equal measure!!!!!!11

Either a troll or a Cambridge student who didn't quite grasp the 'equal measure' of play balance.

[sxcbonanza]

dont wory about the work play balance i sed equal measure and i grasp da concept!!! i no u didnt get in but dont wory mayb u hav to werk harder than others to achiev?

[BethanyJane]

(Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd)
The thing to remember is that if you're being seriously overworked, you can always turn around to your tutors and tell them to back off. I did that a couple of times. That's not to say it went down well but I always won in the end

Oxford was a bit difficult for me due to ill health but there were some amazing times there and I'd do it all again in a flash if I could

What are you thinking of applying for, subject-wise? And college-wise?

Ah! Okay, it's great to hear from previous Oxbridge students I'm actually thinking of applying for Law. I have no idea about which college either! I have to make sure I have good grades this year too! 10 days to go!

Where did you go and what did you do? (If you don't mind me asking)

[riotgrrl]

There are some people who you will literally see in freshers week and then not again until Trinity term and you can only assume they've been holed up in their room for the entire year but by and large we do have social lives. I know my friends at other unis tend to go out clubbing minimum twice a week whereas I tend to go clubbing like once a fortnight but spend a couple nights a week drinking sainsburys basic vodka in someone's room- I'm not yet sure, however, whether this is an Oxford thing or if I've just happened to befriend a group of antisocial alcoholics Likewise, plenty of people play sport to a serious level, or get really involved in drama or politics. Personally, I'm lazy, so aside from aforementioned drinking, I volunteer at a primary school for a couple of hours a week, make it to the gym every now and again and get to the theatre quite regularly (to watch, not to act, see above note re: laziness). There's a lot of work and it can seem daunting at first but you will eventually get into the swing of it.

[The_Lonely_Goatherd]

(Original post by BethanyJane)
Ah! Okay, it's great to hear from previous Oxbridge students I'm actually thinking of applying for Law. I have no idea about which college either! I have to make sure I have good grades this year too! 10 days to go!

Where did you go and what did you do? (If you don't mind me asking)

I did Music at Worcester (Woosta) College. Which, for the record, is the best college

[BethanyJane]

(Original post by riotgrrl)
There are some people who you will literally see in freshers week and then not again until Trinity term and you can only assume they've been holed up in their room for the entire year but by and large we do have social lives. I know my friends at other unis tend to go out clubbing minimum twice a week whereas I tend to go clubbing like once a fortnight but spend a couple nights a week drinking sainsburys basic vodka in someone's room- I'm not yet sure, however, whether this is an Oxford thing or if I've just happened to befriend a group of antisocial alcoholics Likewise, plenty of people play sport to a serious level, or get really involved in drama or politics. Personally, I'm lazy, so aside from aforementioned drinking, I volunteer at a primary school for a couple of hours a week, make it to the gym every now and again and get to the theatre quite regularly (to watch, not to act, see above note re: laziness). There's a lot of work and it can seem daunting at first but you will eventually get into the swing of it.

Hehe! Thank you for your reply!

[BethanyJane]

(Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd)
I did Music at Worcester (Woosta) College. Which, for the record, is the best college

It looks beautiful! Wow! Music? That's amazing!

[The_Lonely_Goatherd]

(Original post by BethanyJane)
It looks beautiful! Wow! Music? That's amazing!

It is, isn't it?

[Festina lente]

(Original post by BethanyJane)
Ah! Okay, it's great to hear from previous Oxbridge students I'm actually thinking of applying for Law. I have no idea about which college either! I have to make sure I have good grades this year too! 10 days to go!

Good luck for your results!
If you have any questions about Oxford Law feel free to ask here or pm me

[BethanyJane]

(Original post by Festina lente)
Good luck for your results!
If you have any questions about Oxford Law feel free to ask here or pm me

Ah thank you so much! I shall

[JW]

All work, all play, no rest.

[jjarvis]

(Original post by BethanyJane)
Ah! Okay, it's great to hear from previous Oxbridge students I'm actually thinking of applying for Law. I have no idea about which college either! I have to make sure I have good grades this year too! 10 days to go!

Where did you go and what did you do? (If you don't mind me asking)

Obviously you ought to do law at Cambridge. Far the superior university.

Spoiler:

Show

Totally unbiased advice here, obvs. But seriously, if you have questions ask. Festina can tell you about the other place. The courses are structured quite differently for law, and suited to different people, so it does actually matter which you choose.

[BethanyJane]

(Original post by jjarvis)
Obviously you ought to do law at Cambridge. Far the superior university.

Spoiler:

Show

Totally unbiased advice here, obvs. But seriously, if you have questions ask. Festina can tell you about the other place. The courses are structured quite differently for law, and suited to different people, so it does actually matter which you choose.

Haha! I have looked at the Oxford Law recently, I really like the idea of being able to able to study Medical Law, Criminology, because I was always fond of my biology and anything to do with it (ethics etc). However, you can do very similar at Cambridge? I will make sure I look in depth at both courses! Do you have any particular books that you would recommend that I read?

Thank you!

[nexttime]

Some people come to Oxford and work 8am-11pm 7 days per week. You literally never see them. They are the small minority though. You also get the other end of the spectrum - people who are very content to scrape by on a low 2.1 and do next to no work at all. I mean, i was literally doing less than 10 hours per week for large sections of my course. Someone i know claims that there were only 2 days in their entire first term where they DIDN'T go clubbing (which i can believe is about 90% true).

Most people fall somewhere in between. I'd imagine you can tell which end of the spectrum you are by your current work pattern, tbh.

[ellirose]

Work hard, play harder, I say! I'm coming up in October for French at St Anne's so I'm hoping there'll be just as much partying as studying. Can anyone qualify this?